Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Life in the open ocean: seasonal migration and diel diving behaviour of Southern Hemisphere porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus)

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A wide range of pelagic predators survive in the open ocean, yet little is known about how they use that environment. Much of the current information on these species comes from studies in shelf waters, and it is not clear how representative the results are of their oceanic lifestyle. We used pop-up satellite tags to explore the horizontal and vertical use of the open ocean by porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus) in the south-west Pacific Ocean and to identify possible mitigation measures to reduce their bycatch in tuna longline fisheries. Ten porbeagle sharks were tracked in waters around New Zealand for 72–300 days (median 221 days). Sharks made horizontal movements of hundreds to thousands of kilometres, with a maximum estimated track length of almost 10,000 km. Mature females made seasonal latitudinal migrations from ~46–48°S in summer to ~35–38°S during winter–spring, where they are hypothesised to give birth to pups. Porbeagle sharks exhibited diel vertical migration, diving deeper during the day than at night. Dives generally began at dawn and finished at dusk and lasted 11–15 h depending on day length. Porbeagles feed mainly on mesopelagic fish and squid and appear to forage in the vertically migrating deep scattering layer. All sharks dived to at least 600 m with a maximum recorded depth of 1024 m. During the day, most of their time was spent at depths of 200–600 m in the open ocean. Porbeagle shark bycatch could be substantially reduced by limiting longline fishing to daylight hours when they are too deep to be caught. However, longliners currently set mainly at night to avoid seabird bycatch, which would increase unless other mitigation measures were implemented to protect them. A review of factors affecting the bycatch of various species, and the impact of mitigation measures on catches of target species, is required to identify an appropriate suite of management measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Béguer-Pon M, Benchetrit J, Castonguay M, Aarestrup K, Campana SE, Stokesbury MJW, Dodson JJ (2012) Shark predation on migrating adult American eels Anguilla rostrata in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. PLoS ONE 7(10):e46830:1–e4683011

    Google Scholar 

  • Block BA et al (2001) Migratory movements, depth preferences, and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Science 293:1310–1314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Block BA, Costa DP, Boehlert GW, Kochevar RE (2003) Revealing pelagic habitat use: the tagging of Pacific pelagics program. Oceanol Acta 25:255–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Block BA et al (2011) Tracking apex marine predator movements in a dynamic ocean. Nature 475:86–90

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brouwer S, Griggs L (2009) Description of New Zealand’s shallow-set longline fisheries. Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Scientific Committee fifth regular session WCPFC-SC5-2009/EB IP-01 rev1. 43 pp

  • Campana SE, Joyce WN (2004) Temperature and depth associations of porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in the northwest Atlantic. Fish Oceanogr 13:52–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE, Marks L, Joyce W, Hurley P, Showell M, Kulka D (1999) An analytical assessment of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) population in the Northwest Atlantic. Canadian Stock Assessment Secretariat research document 99/158, 57 pp

  • Campana SE, Natanson LJ, Myklevoll S (2002a) Bomb dating and age determination of large pelagic sharks. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 59:450–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE et al (2002b) Population dynamics of the porbeagle in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Nth Am J Fish Mgmt 22:106–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE et al (2008) The rise and fall (again) of the porbeagle shark population in the Northwest Atlantic. In: Camhi MD, Pikitch EK, Babcock EA (eds) Sharks of the open ocean: biology, fisheries and conservation. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp 445–461

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE, Joyce W, Fowler M (2010) Subtropical pupping ground for a cold-water shark. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 67:769–773

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campana SE, Dorey A, Fowler M, Joyce W, Wang Z, Wright D, Yashayaev I (2011) Migration pathways, behavioural thermoregulation and overwintering grounds of blue sharks in the northwest Atlantic. PLoS ONE 6(2): e16854:1–e16854:13

  • Carey FG, Robinson BH (1981) Daily patterns in the activity of swordfish, Xiphias gladius, observed by acoustic telemetry. Fish Bull 79:277–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherel Y, Duhamel G (2004) Antarctic jaws: cephalopod prey of sharks in Kerguelen waters. Deep-sea Res I 51:17–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiswell SM, Bostock HC, Sutton PJH, Williams MJM (2015) Physical oceanography of the deep seas around New Zealand: a review. N Z J Mar Freshwater Res 49:286–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke SC, Francis MP, Griggs LH (2013) Review of shark meat markets, discard mortality and pelagic shark data availability, and a proposal for a shark indicator analysis. New Zealand fisheries assessment report 2013/65, 74 pp

  • Clarke S, Sato M, Small C, Sullivan B, Inoue Y, Ochi D (2014) Bycatch in longline fisheries for tuna and tuna-like species: a global review of status and mitigation measures. FAO fisheries and aquaculture technical paper 588, 199 pp

  • Compagno LJV (1990) Sharks. In: Gon O, Heemstra PC (eds) Fishes of the southern ocean. J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Grahamstown, pp 81–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove R, Arregui I, Arrizabalaga H, Goni N, Neilson JD (2015) Predation of pop-up satellite archival tagged albacore (Thunnus alalunga). Fish Res 162:48–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewar H et al. (2011) Movements and behaviours of swordfish in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans examined using pop-up satellite archival tags. Fish Oceanogr 20:219–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Domeier ML, Kiefer D, Nasby-Lucas N, Wagschal A, O’Brien F (2005) Tracking Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus orientalis) in the northeastern Pacific with an automated algorithm that estimates latitude by matching sea-surface-temperature data from satellites with temperature data from tags on fish. Fish Bull 103:292–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Duhamel G, Ozouf-Costaz C (1982) Presence de Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788) aux Iles Kerguelen. Cybium 6:15–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Duhamel G, Gasco N, Davaine P (2005) Poissons des îles Kerguelen et Crozet. Publications scientifiques du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Forselledo R (2012) Estructura poblacional y aspectos reproductivos del tiburón pinocho Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788) en el Atlántico Sudoccidental. Pasantía de grado para optar a la Licenciatura en Ciencias Biológicas. Facultad de Ciencias-UDELAR (Convenio DINARA-Facultad de Ciencias, Uruguay)

  • Francis MP (2013) Commercial catch composition of highly migratory elasmobranchs. New Zealand fisheries assessment report 2013/68, 79 pp

  • Francis MP (2015) Size, maturity and age composition of porbeagle sharks observed in New Zealand tuna longline fisheries. New Zealand fisheries assessment report 2015/16, 30 pp

  • Francis MP, Duffy C (2005) Length at maturity in three pelagic sharks (Lamna nasus, Isurus oxyrinchus, and Prionace glauca) from New Zealand. Fish Bull 103:489–500

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Stevens JD (2000) Reproduction, embryonic development and growth of the porbeagle shark, Lamna nasus, in the south-west Pacific Ocean. Fish Bull 98:41–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Griggs LH, Baird SJ (2001) Pelagic shark bycatch in the New Zealand tuna longline fishery. Mar Freshw Res 52:165–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Campana SE, Jones CM (2007) Age under-estimation in New Zealand porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus): is there an upper limit to ages that can be determined from shark vertebrae? Mar Freshw Res 58:10–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Natanson LJ, Campana SE (2008) The biology and ecology of the porbeagle shark, Lamna nasus. In: Camhi MD, Pikitch EK, Babcock EA (eds) Sharks of the open ocean: biology, fisheries and conservation. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp 105–113

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Duffy CAJ, Bonfil R, Manning MJ (2012) The third dimension. Vertical habitat use by white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, in New Zealand and in oceanic and tropical waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean. In: Domeier ML (ed) Global perspectives on the biology and life history of the white shark. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 319–342

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Francis MP, Clarke SC, Griggs LH, Hoyle SD (2014) Indicator based analysis of the status of New Zealand blue, mako and porbeagle sharks. New Zealand fisheries assessment report 2014/69, 109 pp

  • Griggs LH, Baird SJ, Francis MP (2008) Fish bycatch in New Zealand tuna longline fisheries in 2005–06. New Zealand fisheries assessment report 2008/27, 47 pp

  • Hernandez S, Haye PA, Shivji MS (2008) Characterization of the pelagic shark-fin trade in northcentral Chile by genetic identification and trader surveys. J Fish Biol 73:2293–2304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horn PL, Ballara SL, Sutton PJH, Griggs LH (2013) Evaluation of the diets of highly migratory species in New Zealand waters. New Zealand aquatic environment and biodiversity report 116, 140 pp

  • Hussey NE et al. (2015) Aquatic animal telemetry: a panoramic window into the underwater world. Sci 348(6240):e1255642:1–e1255642:10

    Google Scholar 

  • Joyce WN, Campana SE, Natanson LJ, Kohler NE, Pratt HL, Jensen CF (2002) Analysis of stomach contents of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus Bonnaterre) in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. ICES J Mar Sci 59:1263–1269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitamura T, Matsunaga H (2010) Population structure of porbeagle (Lamna nasus) in the Atlantic Ocean as inferred from mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. Coll Vol Sci Pap ICCAT 65:2082–2087

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler NE, Turner PA (2001) Shark tagging: a review of conventional methods and studies. Env Biol Fish 60:191–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohler NE, Turner PA, Hoey JJ, Natanson LJ, Briggs R (2002) Tag and recapture data for three pelagic shark species: blue shark (Prionace glauca), shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), and porbeagle (Lamna nasus) in the North Atlantic Ocean. Coll Vol Sci Pap ICCAT 54:1231–1260

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacroix GL (2014) Large pelagic predators could jeopardize the recovery of endangered Atlantic salmon. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 71:343–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam CH, Nielsen A, Sibert JR (2008) Improving light and temperature based geolocation by unscented Kalman filtering. Fish Res 91:15–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Last PR, Stevens JD (1994) Sharks and rays of Australia. CSIRO, Hobart

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe CG, Goldman KJ (2001) Thermal and bioenergetics of elasmobranchs: bridging the gap. Env Biol Fish 60:251–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsunaga H (2006) Tag and release of the pelagic shark species in the SBT fishery, 1998–2005. CCSBT ecologically related species 0602/16, 4 pp

  • McGregor V, Horn PL (2015) Factors affecting the distribution of highly migratory species in New Zealand waters. New Zealand aquatic environment and biodiversity report 146, 119 pp

  • Musyl MK, Brill RW, Boggs CH, Curran DS, Kazama TK, Seki MP (2003) Vertical movements of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) associated with islands, buoys, and seamounts near the main Hawaiian Islands from archival tagging data. Fish Oceanogr 12:152–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakano H, Matsunaga H, Okamoto H, Okazaki M (2003) Acoustic tracking of bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 265:255–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Natanson LJ, Mello JJ, Campana SE (2002) Validated age and growth of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Fish Bull 100:266–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen A, Sibert JR (2007) State-space model for light-based tracking of marine animals. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 64:1055–1068

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen A, Bigelow KA, Musyl MK, Sibert JR (2006) Improving light-based geolocation by including sea surface temperature. Fish Oceanogr 15:314–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pade NG, Queiroz N, Humphries NE, Witt MJ, Jones CS, Noble LR, Sims DW (2009) First results from satellite-linked archival tagging of porbeagle shark, Lamna nasus: area fidelity, wider-scale movements and plasticity in diel depth changes. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 370:64–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen SL, Honig MB, Ryan PG, Underhill LG, Compagno LJV (2009) Pelagic shark bycatch in the tuna- and swordfish-directed longline fishery off southern Africa. Afr J Mar Sci 31:215–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pons M, Domingo A (2010) Standardized CPUE of porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) caught by the Uruguayan pelagic longline fleet (1982–2008). Coll Vol Sci Pap ICCAT 65:2098–2108

    Google Scholar 

  • Pshenichnov LK (2013) Biological characteristics of by-catch fish species during trawl fishing on the shelf of Kerguelen Islands (the Indian Ocean, Subantarctic). Proc South Sci Res Inst Mar Fish Oceanog 51:91–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Randhawa HS, Brickle P (2011) Larval parasite gene sequence data reveal cryptic trophic links in life cycles of porbeagle shark tapeworms. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 431:215–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2008) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. http://www.R-project.org. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria

  • Saunders RA, Royer F, Clarke MW (2011) Winter migration and diving behaviour of porbeagle shark, Lamna nasus, in the Northeast Atlantic. ICES J Mar Sci 68:166–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Semba Y, Yokawa K, Matsunaga H, Shono H (2013) Distribution and trend in abundance of the porbeagle (Lamna nasus) in the southern hemisphere. Mar Freshw Res 64:518–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepard ELC, Ahmed MZ, Southall EJ, Witt MJ, Metcalfe JD, Sims DW (2006) Diel and tidal rhythms in diving behaviour of pelagic sharks identified by signal processing of archival tagging data. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 328:205–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens JD (1990) Further results from a tagging study of pelagic sharks in the North-east Atlantic. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 70:707–720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens JD, Wayte SE (1999) A review of Australia’s pelagic shark resources. FRDC Project 98/107, 64 pp

  • Svetlov MF (1978) The porbeagle, Lamna nasus, in Antarctic waters. J Ichth 18:850–851

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi M, Okamura H, Yokawa K, Okazaki M (2003) Swimming behaviour and migration of a swordfish recorded by an archival tag. Mar Freshw Res 54:527–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teo SLH, Boustany A, Blackwell S, Walli A, Weng KC, Block BA (2004) Validation of geolocation estimates based on light level and sea surface temperature from electronic tags. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 283:81–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teo SLH et al (2006) Annual migrations, diving behavior, and thermal biology of Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, on their Gulf of Mexico breeding grounds. Mar Biol 151:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Testerman C, Richards V, Francis M, Pade N, Jones C, Noble L, Shivji M (2007) Global phylogeography of the porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) reveals strong genetic separation of Northern and Southern Hemisphere populations (Abstract). American Elasmobranch Society Annual Meeting. St Louis, USA, p 1

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorrold SR, Afonso P, Fontes J, Braun CD, Santos RS, Skomal GB, Berumen ML (2014) Extreme diving behaviour in devil rays links surface waters and the deep ocean. Nature Commun 5(4274):1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Wijk EM, Williams R (2003) Fish and invertebrate by-catch from Australian fisheries for D. eleginoides and C. gunnari in Division 58.5. CCAMLR working group report FSA-03/73, 25 pp

  • Weng KC, O’Sullivan JB, Lowe CG, Winkler CE, Dewar H, Block BA (2007) Movements, behavior and habitat preferences of juvenile white sharks Carcharodon carcharias in the eastern Pacific. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 338:211–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West GJ, Stevens JD (2001) Archival tagging of school shark, Galeorhinus galeus, in Australia: initial results. Env Biol Fish 60:283–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson SG, Lutcavage M, Brill RW, Genovese MP, Cooper AB, Everly AW (2004) Movements of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the western Atlantic Ocean recorded by pop-up satellite archival tags. Mar Biol 146:409–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yatsu A (1995a) Zoogeography of the epipelagic fishes in the South Pacific Ocean and the Pacific sector of the Subantarctic, with special reference to the ecological role of slender tuna, Allothunnus fallai. Bull Natl Res Inst Far Seas Fish 32:145

    Google Scholar 

  • Yatsu A (1995b) The role of slender tuna, Allothunnus fallai, in the pelagic ecosystems of the South Pacific Ocean. Jap J Ichth 41:367–377

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries’ observers for tagging the sharks aboard commercial fishing vessels, James Andrew for coordinating the observers and providing data, and the fishing industry and commercial fishers who assisted them.

Funding

This study was partially funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries through project SEA201310 and the Moore Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 14901, Wellington, 6241, New Zealand

    Malcolm P. Francis

  2. Blue Water Marine Research, PO Box 402081, Northland, 0153, New Zealand

    John C. Holdsworth

  3. Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, 93940, USA

    Barbara A. Block

Authors
  1. Malcolm P. Francis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John C. Holdsworth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Barbara A. Block
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Malcolm P. Francis.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards and fish tagging protocols of the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: J. Carlson.

Reviewed by S. Campana and N. Queiroz.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (PDF 864 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Francis, M.P., Holdsworth, J.C. & Block, B.A. Life in the open ocean: seasonal migration and diel diving behaviour of Southern Hemisphere porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus). Mar Biol 162, 2305–2323 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-015-2756-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-015-2756-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation